Packing Tips & Cruise Travel Planning

The first thing to think about is, what kind of cruise are you going on?  Are you taking a ”Freestyle cruise on NCL”, or a luxury cruise on Cunard?  In the first, you don’t have to bring your dressy clothes because everything is resort casual.  On the other hand, on the luxury cruise you will be expected to dress for dinner.  So, keep that in mind when we go over the packing tips and cruise travel planning.

Once you know what kind of cruise you are taking, then you can begin to lay out the clothes/outfits you plan to wear for the dressiest occasions.  You might even start with a list.  An evening gown/tux for the captain’s dinner, etc…  In fact, just like getting a house ready to sell (they call it “staging the house”), we can stage the outfits you will need.  You can lay them out across the bed in the spare bedroom, but I like to use an empty closet or a freestanding clothes rack to ‘stage’ my clothes.  Your outfits for evening—if the shower rod is convenient, hang them there. Also, I like to travel light so I choose basics that I can mix and match, so that I don’t have to carry shoes for each outfit.  When it comes to shoes, I will choose black shoes, tennis shoes/walking shoes, and sandals.  I match the outfits to those shoes.

Once I have finalized an outfit/set of clothes for each evening, I cover it with a plastic dry cleaning bag and set it aside.  If I have the room, and I am packing for myself and my partner, I will have 4 suitcases laid out and will spread my clothes over the 4 suitcases and my partner’s over the 4 suitcases as well.  That way, if the airlines misplace a suitcase, it is not all of mine, or all of my partner’s clothes that are missing.  This way, only a day or two of clothes is missing, and we can re-use or re-mix and match to cover the lost clothes during the week, as we wait for the suitcase to catch up.

As you place the garments in the suitcase, laying a piece of tissue between them helps to prevent the wrinkles.  If they do wrinkle, sometimes just hanging them in the bathroom during the shower will allow the wrinkles to steam out.  Don’t bring a travel iron with you. They are prohibited on most ships.  If all else fails, many ships have ironing stations in their self-service passenger launderettes or, for maximum convenience, send the offending garments to the ship’s laundry for pressing.

I have heard of some travelers who get those shoe organizers that hang in the closet, the kind with shelves (not pockets) to organize their shoes, small evening purses, rolled up belts, and anything small.  I have even heard that other travelers use them as bathroom organizers on the ship so that everything has a place rather than being scattered all over the place.  I might use it like that, but as for shoes, I personally think you are better off just taking fewer shoes, etc…  Besides, with the high fees that airlines are charging for extra or overweight suitcases, just leave the extra stuff at home.

Packing liquids and saving space
As you all know, the airlines already require you to pack the smaller size packages of shampoo, etc… into a quart size Ziploc bag.  Don’t get cheap here.  Buy the good ones with the zipper, not the cheap ones that are always a battle to seal.  When packing fluffy things, like sox, underwear, sweaters, etc… simply place those articles in bags designed for compact storage, such as those made by Pack-Mate, or appropriately sized Ziploc kitchen storage bags and force all the air out by sitting on them before zipping them shut. Not only do you save room in your suitcases, but also the items in the Ziploc bags will stay dry if your suitcases are sitting on the luggage truck, in the rain, as they are being loaded into the airplane.  It makes for quick unpacking as well.

Is that my underwear on the luggage carousel?
Speaking of Ziplocs makes me think of zippers.  We have all seen it.  Loose clothing on the luggage carousel because the luggage has come unzipped, or worse yet, the zipper has failed.  We used to be able to deal with the unzipped issue, but now with all the TSA rules, we cannot put locks on the zippers unless they meet the TSA standards.  Some travel sites will recommend cable ties that you can find in the home improvement stores.  Of course, if your suitcase gets inspected, the TSA will cut them off and your effort has gone to waste. If you choose to go this route, make sure to put a clear Ziploc bag in the suitcase, on top, with extra cable ties.  Write on the envelope, “Please feel free to replace the cable tie you had to cut to inspect my suitcase with one of these.  Thanks and I appreciate your efforts at keeping us safe.”   You will want some extras for your trip home as well.

Another option is to use straps around your luggage.  Not only do they help keep your suitcase closed, they add an extra level of effort for sticky-fingered staff from rummaging through your luggage.

Some travelers also recommend using duct tape.  Just like the use of cable ties, make sure you have some extra in your suitcase, so that the TSA can re-tape your luggage if they have to do a hand examination of your suitcase contents. Tape also discourages random pilferage by baggage handlers. Why would anyone bother with your taped bag when others are not even locked? Wrapped around suitcases, it keeps them relatively secure in worst-case scenarios, such as zipper blow-out or broken hinges and clasps. It also makes your suitcase stand out in the baggage carousel.

Luggage Tags for Your Bags
First of all, I always make sure to have luggage tag info inside the bag.  I never have the home address on the tag on the outside of the bag though.  Don’t want some misguided luggage handler to call his or her friends to let them know that the resident at 1234 Main Street is not home, and just got on a flight to New York City.  And, although this may seem excessive, I use ALL the tags provided by the cruise line when tagging our suitcases.

At a minimum, I want two identification tags on each suitcase (in addition to our “permanent” luggage tags). Those tags, with the skinny string, can easily become detached, so before putting them on the suitcases, I remove the string, replacing it with long cable ties. If I am using the eDocs, and print out paper luggage tags, I fold them and reinforce them with tape.  I put one on each handle of dual-handle suitcases and two on the handle of suitcases that only have one handle. I want to do everything that I can to make sure that we never have a lost or delayed suitcase because of a missing tag. Also, if I am flying to the port city the night before my cruise, which I highly recommend because I don’t want to miss my cruise because of a delayed flight, I wait to put on the cruise line luggage tags until I am in the hotel room, and ready to leave for the ship.  I do the tape reinforcement at home and have the long cable ties already taped into the folded luggage tag.  All I have to do is slip the pointed end into the catch to attach them to my luggage.

Another great tip is to print out your itinerary, reduce it in size, fold it and tuck it behind the nametag in the luggage tag. Make sure the name of the cruise line is easy to read. In fact, that nametag is in there so that the back shows, not my name and address, and I write “Turn Over to Find Owner”. That way, if the airline has misplaced my luggage, and they check the luggage tag, they will know where to find me, and can work with the cruise line to get the bag to my next port. There is also a full copy of the itinerary inside the suitcase, inside a Ziploc bag.  That one has the cruise line info, and their phone number, and our reservation number on it.

Finding Your Suitcase in The Crowd
We have all done it.  We have marked our suitcase with ribbons, bows, straps, etc… Anything to make it stand out in the crowd, so that it is easier to find at the airport or at the dock as you are leaving the ship.  Since most of us are using soft-sided luggage, marking the side of them or painting them with waterproof paint markers will make them stand out.  I don’t put my name on them.  I won’t put my facebook or twitter name on them either. No need to advertise for a stalker.  You can use your nickname or something catchy.  If you are artistic, paint a picture or scene that will catch your eye.  Don’t just do the side, do the top and back too.  Most handlers leave bags with the handles up, so that is a great place for your artwork.

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Turning Dreams into Memories,
One Vacation at a Time.
Bon Voyage!!!

As you might guess, this document is a compilation of information from our travels as well as from other travelers. I hope it has been of value to you.  Check out the important links below.

• Packing Checklist
• Parent Authorization Letter For Unaccompanied Minors
• Medical Treatment Authorization Letter
• Travel With Minors – Permission Letter

Don’t hesitate to email us when you return from your trip with any suggestions that will make this document better for you and your fellow travelers!

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